Evesham Regatta

The MasC men’s quad of Maurice, Stuart, Adam and Keith overcame an enormous handicap to beat a Bewdley MasE crew. They started a full 16 seconds down and it took them most of the 1000m course to get back within range, but in the closing stages they stormed past impressively and won by two lengths.

In WMasE 2x, Jo and Linda had a ding-dong battle with a Llandaff crew all the way down the course, but seemed just unable to get ahead of them and that is how the two crews crossed the finish line. After an hour of contemplating what might have been, they were astonished to discover that the finishing judge’s verdict (which had never been announced) had been awarded to them by three feet. What they hadn’t fully realised was that the finish line is staggered significantly in favour of the crew on the outside of the bend, i.e. Upton. So a narrow defeat was converted into a much more acceptable victory.

The men’s MasC Novice four of James, Andy, Chris and Dan had no Masters opposition and were therefore put into the Open Novice event, against crews who were some 30 years younger. They met the eventual winners in the first round – Monmouth Comprehensive School – and unsurprisingly it proved something of a mismatch, but they had a good row nonetheless and will hope to find opposition closer to their own ages in future. Andrew and Jeremy also raced, in MasF 2x, but were beaten by a couple of lengths from a local double from Evesham.

Jo and Linda also raced in the 500m event on Sunday, but it wasn’t one of their best rows and they were beaten by a sprightly crew from Falcon Rowing Club (Oxford).